


To The Moon

by infectedscrew



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: M/M, Minor Danger, Minor Violence, On Hiatus, Political Arguing, Stuffy Diplomats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-07
Updated: 2016-05-07
Packaged: 2018-06-06 21:57:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6771823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infectedscrew/pseuds/infectedscrew
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Enterprise must host a conference to determine the fate of a small moon. It quickly falls apart and the Enterprise crew has to pick up the pieces. (On Hiatus)</p>
            </blockquote>





	To The Moon

There was nothing more irritating than having to sit through a Peace Conference. It was just a bunch of stuff-shirts sitting around trying to convince each other that they are better than the rest; followed by strange jokes that earn a huffy, dry laugh from everyone at the table. The only thing that made it slightly more bearable was knowing that he, Jim Kirk, didn’t have to say a damn thing to these people.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Spock.

With the request from both his father and Star Fleet Command, he had no choice but to sit on the meeting. He was expected to speak for both Vulcan and the Federation in the best way possible. So far, he’d been doing exactly that.

Right now, however, it looked like he was fighting to stay interested. Every so often Spock would look down at his notes and close his eyes very slowly. He’d take a breath and look back up.

Never speaking a word, Kirk knew the Vulcan was just as bored as he was. Over the years, he’d learned exactly what that slow-blink stood for. He’d seen it directed at him enough times. He took a small breath and returned his attention to the strangely translucent being that had been talking for most of the session.

“There is nothing on that planet surface worth saving, especially when that fuel is so important,” he stated, spindle fingers clenched tight above the table. “I can not believe an argument must be made. Everyone here understands that there is no way the fuel can not be collected–”

“But the living creatures on the surface have a right to be protected as well,” a portly creature with brilliant yellow eyes spoke up from beside Kirk. “The radioactive material that is being created is only destroying plant-life unnecessarily.”

A trunk-nosed ambassador with rather stilted eyes snorted. “What creatures? The tiny bugs that only clog up the vents of our machine? Plants can be remade. It is not as if we do not have the science to do it. Pah, I say we forget about them.”

“But the radioactive materials,” the first ambassador said again. “They could be a danger to more than the planet. Have you not considered our own well-being?”

Kirk sighed to himself. The constant back and forth was making a vein pound in his temple. Resisting the urge to dig his knuckle into the pressure point, he debated getting up and leaving.

Luckily for him, Spock spoke up.

“As it is, this debate has continued with no end in sight. Perhaps it would be best for a rest period. With a chance to relax there is a chance we will come to a better conclusion than the stagnant state we are now.”

He spoke as calmly as ever, but from the tight line of his jaw, Kirk knew he was dying to get out of there.

“Well… We truly have gotten no where,” remarked a slender, bark-skinned female. “I am inclined to agree.”

Reluctantly the ambassador’s agreed. Both Captain and First Officer stood to guide their guests out. Spock spoke quietly with each one, finding them the best place on the Enterprise to find peace for the time being. Once everyone was settled, Kirk dragged Spock back to the bridge.

“Been awhile since I’ve seen this place,” Kirk said, rather dramatically dropping himself back into his chair.

Spock arched his eyebrow slightly. “It has only been five point six hours.”

In front of the pair Sulu laughed. “It’s hard to leave this place for even a second, Mr. Spock.”

“I don’t know about you,” Chekov interjected, “I very much prefer the time I’m not in here.”

Kirk frowned, kicking the back of the young navigator’s chair slightly. “We can replace you, you know.”

Chekov gaped. “You wouldn’t?”

“Probably not. You’re one of the best,” Kirk answered, relaxing back in his chair.

Just behind them, Uhura shook her head. “I don’t know if you guys are done, but you might want to come hear this Mr. Spock,” she called, gesturing.

Spock pulled away from Kirk and bowed over the console. He lifted the ear piece to listen. Whatever he expected to hear, it wasn’t that. The harsh grind of metal, muffled by the harsh sting of static greeted him. Rather composed, he yanked the piece away from his ear.

“Weird to you too?” Uhura asked, taking the piece back from him.

Spock nodded. “Have you been able to decipher what it is?”

Uhura shook her head. “And the worst part is that it is coming over the communication waves. Which means a technical device is creating it.”

“Is it dangerous?” Kirk cut in, tilting his head back to look at them over the back of his chair.

“Not so far as I can tell, but I’ll keep an eye on it,” Uhura replied with confidence.

Spock turned back to Kirk. They shared a brief look, one trying to ask something from the other. Whatever passed between them, it was enough to pull Kirk out of his chair and back over to the door.

“As much as I love it up here, I’m pretty sure it’s been five point too many hours since I’ve eaten. Let’s go, Spock,” he stated, hands on his hips.

Spock glanced to the main screen before joining his captain.

“Call if you–”

Whatever quip Kirk was going to make would have to wait. The planet they’d been keeping a watch over seemed to quake violently. All at once the radars around them exploded with warnings. Crew members scrambled to decipher them before the planet could make it’s next move.

“Captain!”

“Sir?”

Kirk lifted his hands. “One at a time, unfortunately I don’t come from Nebulian 6 so I can’t hear everything. Tell me what that planet just did, Ensign Cole.”

“From what I can tell, the internal structure of the planet is weakening and caving in on itself,” Cole explained quickly, looking drained and nervous.

Kirk nodded, moving quickly back to his chair. He took the news rather well. “Ensign Khol'vok, the shock wave?”

A young, female with pale purple skin looked up from her screen. Hazy, opal eyes were narrowed in concern. “It was two parts, sir. The first from the great atmospheric shift, which was probably the pressure of the planet’s gravity shifting. The second was some kind of unknown leaving the planet.”

“Leaving? What, like a ship?”

Khol'vok shrugged her spiked shoulders. “That is not my area.”

Kirk rolled his eyes to Spock.

“It would appear to be an ‘unknown’, Captain,” Spock explain, flipping through his sensors and screens. “A ship would be impossible, as there is no life on that planet with enough intelligence to make space contact. As is, from everyone else’s gathered information it would appear–”

“That planet is imploding!” Sulu shrieked. “Captain, if I don’t reverse now we’ll be pulled into it.”

Kirk nodded once. “Do it. Get this ship out of here and to the closest moon. Do it now, Mr. Sulu.”

The harsh pressure of the Enterprise reversing at full speed was enough to make Kirk’s ears pop. He winced, flexing his jaw. No matter how many years he spent in space or on this ship, he knew he’d never get used to it.

From all around him, sensor blared and computer’s screamed. His PADD chirped at him, a quietly friendly sound in the cacophony of distress. He lifted it, going quickly over the information the Chief Engineer sent him. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Spock’s hands fly over the Science Station, determining the exact source of their problems.

“Captain, the planet…!” Ensign Cole announced from her seat.

The entire bridge stilled and looked up to the viewer screen. In a sick fascination they watched as the planet they’d been fighting over pulled in on itself, shuddering violently before exploding out with unimaginable force.

Even from their relatively safe distance, the ship still groaned under the weight of an exploding planet. The crew gripped their seats and held in a terrified breath, just waiting for the Enterprise to give up on them.

After a heart-pounding pause the pressure disappeared and the crew blinked at a, now dust filled, space where the planet used to be.

Kirk gave a shaky laugh and patted his console. “Atta girl,” he muttered.

“Captain,” Spock started, straightening up. Later he’d remind his commanding officer that the ship did not, in fact, have a gender and the sudden loss of a planet would not change that. For now, he had more pressing matters to deal with. “The planet Tebulose is completely gone and with it the drilling operations that planet Veriosa VI had employed.”

The translucent alien with too long fingers and shiny black eyes popped into Kirk’s mind. Considering how that ambassador felt about living things, he didn’t think it was that much of a loss. He shook his head with a sigh.

“Understood. Uhura, can you send a message down to the ambassador’s that their drilling operation will have to find a new home.”

“Aye, Sir,” she replied, already shifting through the ship’s records to find each state room for their illustrious guests.

“Sulu, Chekov, keep us close to this moon. If the radiation everyone has been so concerned about starts causing temporal shifts, I wanna know about it,” Kirk continued, pulling himself out of his chair once more.

“Yes, Captain,” Sulu and Chekov chimed, keeping their gazes locked ahead.

“Whatever information you find, send it to Scotty. He’ll need those engines pipping hot in case we need to high tail it out of here.”

Spock turned to the railing separating him from his Captain. The thin line of tension had remained in his jaw, spreading into his neck and shoulders. Yet his face remained as composed as ever.

“Mr. Spock, what about that ‘unknown’ we saw just before the planet loss?” Kirk asked, stepping up in front of the Vulcan.

“It appears that it landed on the moon we are now stationed in front of. I have yet to find a source for its origins,” Spock explained, eyes narrowed slightly in tightly concealed irritation. “I will continue to monitor the moon for signs of strange activity.”

Kirk nodded. “Good. Hey, Uhura, what about that weird signal we got earlier?”

The communications woman paused, lowering her ear pieces. “It is still there, sir. Both Mr. Spock and I have concluded that it’s coming from the 'unknown’. But…” She shrugged and tilted her head to her read outs. “I don’t know what it could be. It’s like nothing we’ve ever heard.”

“Right, of course it’s not,” Kirk muttered. “Come on, Spock. You and I need a break before Bones comes running up here with a hypospray.”

Spock lifted an eyebrow. “As you know, Captain, Vulcan’s require less rest than–”

“Humans, blah, blah, blah. I know. Come on. We’re going to eat something before those dignitaries try to rip us apart for blowing up their drills,” Kirk interrupted, already heading for the turbo lift.

Reluctantly, Spock trailed after the captain. Even if he didn’t need the break, he was inclined to agree with the man. The politicians were sure to be a pain in his side for the rest of the night. It would do no harm to find a moment of peace before he had to work with them, logically.

—-

“Bridge to the Captain. Come in, Captain.”

Kirk groaned, threatening to drop his head against the closest chess level. Something he know would have earned him a sharp eyebrow raise from Spock.

“How long since I’ve been on the bridge, Spock?”

“One hour and twenty minutes, exactly,” Spock answered primly, moving his bishop to the lowest level of the chess board. “And it looks as if you must return, but, as I recall, you much prefer to be there.”

Kirk blinked slowly at him. “Not after spending the last hour listening to stuffy politicians yell at each other over a stupid drill that they don’t even need. And… Did you just put me in check?”

Spock inclined his head.

“Bridge to the Captain,” Uhura continued, now sounding a bit irritated she had to call again.

“Captain here. What is it, Uhura?” Kirk called to the computer on his right.

“We are getting signs of life on the moon we’re stationed over. I thought you might want to take a look,” Uhura explained. “Also, Admiral Komack is requesting a meeting.”

Kirk cursed under his breath. “Komack… Is it urgent?”

“No, but he wants to talk to the ambassadors.”

“Captain,” Spock cut in, leaning forward. “Star Fleet regulations state that a member of the senior officers must be present when the Federation speaks with dignitaries of new planets.”

Kirk grinned at him, already out of his chair and heading out of his door. “Looks like you just volunteered yourself, Mr. Spock,” he called jovially.

He could just picture the eyebrow shooting up and full lips fighting to repress a frown. It was enough to make him chuckle all the way to the bridge.

“So, what’s about life forms?” Kirk asked, stepping over to Uhura. He glanced briefly to the young man who had replaced Spock at the science station.

“Well, Lieutenant Wolf and I have been running over all our readings. Ever since that 'unknown’ landed our computers have been picking up life forms. They are very faint, almost nonexistent, but they are there.”

Kirk nodded, looking over her screens, eyes flicking over the information being shouted at him. “And this moon hasn’t had any sort of similar lifeforms before?”

Uhura shook her head. “Not like this. There are some animals, plant life, of course and the occasional giant insect.”

“Hm, sounds like the perfect time for a landing party,” Kirk announced. “Sulu, you will have the Con until I return. Uhura, contact Mr. Spock, Lieutenants’ Sh'rak, Yoshida and Gonzales. Also, see if McCoy can spare a few life-packs.”

“Yes, Captain,” Uhura said, efficiently sending out the correct messages.

“Scotty,” Kirk called over the communications system, index finger pressed into the console system.

“Aye?” Scotty’s eternally suspicious voice replied over the speakers.

“Prepare the transporter. A landing party is heading out.”

“Aye, sir.”

Kirk pulled his hand away. “Sulu, make sure you and Scotty keep an eye on those radiation levels while I’m off ship. If they get too extreme, you pull out of here and head to Star Base Endricon.”

“Sir?” Sulu frowned at him, standing.

“Even if the landing party is not back. I’m not risking my ship, got it?” Kirk gave him a hard look and didn’t let up until Sulu nodded. He smiled suddenly and slapped Sulu’s shoulder. “See you before Beta Shift,” he said, disappearing into the turbo lift.

Down in the transporter room, his landing party was already waiting for him. He smile winningly at them. He’d been with all of them on multiple landing parties. He could trust them with an out of the blue mission.

Spock had managed to break himself away from the ambassadors, some of the tension gone from his shoulders at the thought of being off ship for awhile. He was straight backed and speaking with Lieutenant Gonzales about the finer points of vegetarian diets.

Lieutenant Sh'rak returned Kirk’s smile, dark green lips pulled up in a rather sensual manner. But then, she was an Orion, everything about them was sensual. Still, she was one of the Kirk’s most loyal crew members and had proven her self to be one of his strongest security members.

“Ready for a fun night, Laila?” He asked the curvy woman.

She nodded, long dark pony tail swinging over her shoulders. “As always. You now how I like my nights,” she answered.

Next to her, Yoshida snorted. He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “This is a landing party, not one of Captain Kirk’s casual Friday’s,” he put in, sharp face determined.

Kirk laughed. Few people on the ship could rival Spock’s ability to be so serious, Yoshida was certainly in the top five. He was one of the Enterprise’s best scientists, with a deep interest in Xenobiology. More than once his extensive knowledge on alien life had saved their skin.

“You’re right, Lieutenant,” Kirk agreed, moving over to Spock. “Doesn’t mean we can’t joke, right Spock?”

Spock looked away from the last lieutenant to look at his captain. He looked like he would disagree but merely shook his head once.

“You can joke, Captain," Gonzales spoke up, her soft round face belaying the years she’d spent as security personnel. She propped her hands on her wide hips, just behind the rather vicious looking phaser she always had on her. "But don’t let it get in the way.”

“Right, right,” Kirk nodded, stepping up onto the transporter pad. “I won’t. I just like to have a bit of fun.”

“Don’t we know that,” Laila chuckled, taking her place behind him.

With his landing party in order, he nodded to Scotty who had listened to their chatter with vague amusement. “Beam us out, Scotty.”

“Aye, but don’ come right back up complain’ 'bout bein’ bored,” Scotty said as he moved his hands over the complicated controls. “Heard 'bout enough of that from yer silly polictical meetings.”

Spock looked at Kirk questioningly.

“I may or may not have sent a bunch of messages to Scotty while in our meeting,” Kirk muttered.

Scotty scoffed. “A bunch? Ach, ain’t that the understatement of the millennium,” he complained as the lights fizzed around them.

Kirk watched his transporter room disappear around him. There was a brief, agonizing pause as his thoughts floated in darkness. Then a new, strange world was rearranging itself around them. He barely had time to orient himself to this new land when something screamed to their left.

“Captain, get down!” Gonzales shouted.


End file.
